Madrid, December 15 (EFE). – The latest figures from the Spanish University System (SUE) show an expansion in the number of higher centers, degrees and faculties, as well as an increase in the number of teaching staff (PDI) in teaching research and a new record in the number of students, although growth is slower and has not yet exceeded the 2 million student mark.
The Spanish University Data and Keys report recently published by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities shows that this year there will be 96 universities, four more than last year, and while the number of public universities has remained at 50 since 2009, the number of private universities will increase to 46, from 28 16 years ago.
The public universities are located in 180 municipalities, while the private universities are located in 62 municipalities.
Additionally, the research teaching workforce (PDI) includes nearly 142,000 teachers and is growing, increasing by 23.3% over the past decade. And of these, 3.6% were foreigners and mostly studied at private universities.
However, public institutions account for 80% of PDI, although the increase in private institutions has been exponential, almost doubling in ten years.
The number of faculties and schools is 1,121 centers, 724 of which belong to public universities.
Education offerings have increased and while there have been 22% more degrees over the last decade, the number of master’s degrees has increased by almost 600 more in just seven years.
There are currently 3,400 bachelor’s degrees taught, 2,355 in the public sector and 1,045 in the private sector. The branches with the greatest relative growth are health sciences with 495 degrees and social sciences and law with 245 additional degrees.
There are 4,162 master’s degrees taught, 70.6% of them at public universities, although enrollment at private universities is higher, 182,000 compared to 150,670.
And the number of master’s students has increased by 52% at public universities and by 265% at private universities.
The number of students enrolled in the Spanish university system has reached a new record, but is progressing more slowly and has not managed to overcome the 2 million barrier.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, a total number of 1,875,010 students is estimated, just 200,000 more than 5 years ago and the increase was around 165,000 more students in 10 years.
The development of public prices shows a general downward trend over the last decade, with a decrease of 0.6% compared to the previous year.
The average price per credit for initial study enrollment is 15.4 euros; for a qualifying master’s degree 15.8 euros and for a non-qualifying master’s degree 30.0 euros, while scientific supervision of a doctoral thesis averages 254.4 euros.
The price of the loan is determined by each Autonomous Community depending on the degree of experimentality of the deal. According to this parameter, the universities with the highest prices were those of La Rioja, UNED, Navarra and Madrid (between 22.7 euros and 20.7 euros per credit), compared to Asturias, the Canary Islands, Extremadura and Galicia with the lowest price, between 8.6 euros and 9.9 euros.
The expenditure of public universities in 2023 amounted to 11,948 million euros, while income was 12,444 million.
Spending increased 5.4% year over year and nearly 22% over the past five years. The personnel share was 65% and investments amounted to 2,072 million euros.
In the area of revenues, they increased by 6.4% compared to the previous year, and while the current financing of the Autonomous Communities represented 61% of the total, public tariffs and prices represented 16%.EFE
(Archive resources at www.lafototeca.com, code 22831883 and others)
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